By Trey McCurry
Wednesday the ACC announced that Louisville will be joining the conference as a full member. TCI takes a look at the Cardinal’s football history.
Quick Facts on the Louisville Football Program
Location: Louisville, KY
Nickname: Cardinals
Website: GoCards.com
First season: 1912
Program Record: 464–438–17 (.514)
Conferences: 1912 – 1962 (Independent); 1963 – 1974 (Missouri Valley); 1975 – 1995 (Independent); 1996 – 2004 (Conference USA); 2005 – Present (Big East)
Championships: Missouri Valley – 2 (1970, 1972)
Conference USA – 3 (2000, 2001, 2004)
Big East – 2 (2006, 2011)
Stadium: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium (built in 1998; capacity: 55,000)
Coach: Charlie Strong (23-13 in three seasons)
Bowls 7-8-1
1958 Sun Drake W, 34-20
1970 Pasadena Long Beach State T, 24-24
1977 Independence Louisiana Tech L, 14-24
1990 Fiesta Alabama W, 34-7
1993 Liberty Michigan State W, 18-7
1998 Motor City Marshall L, 29-48
1999 Humanitarian Boise State L, 31-34
2000 Liberty Colorado State L, 17-22
2001 Liberty BYU W, 28-10
2002 GMAC Marshall L, 15-38
2003 GMAC Miami (OH) L, 28-49
2004 Liberty Boise State W, 44-40
2005 Gator Virginia Tech L, 24-35
2006 Orange Wake Forest W, 24-13
2010 Beef O’Brady’s Southern Miss W, 31-28
2011 Belk NC State L, 24-31
Records Against Future ACC Opponents
Team Record Last Meeting First Meeting
Boston College 3-3 1998, Louisville won 52-28 1986
Clemson Never Faced
Duke 1-0 2002, Louisville won 40-3 2002
Florida State 2-12 2002, Louisville won 26-20 (OT) 1952
Georgia Tech Never Faced
Miami (FL) 1-9-1 2006, Louisville won 31-7 1933
NC State 3-1 2011, NC State won 31-24 1951
North Carolina 4-3 2012, Louisville won 39-34 1988
Pittsburgh 8-8 2012, Louisville won 45-35 1976
Syracuse 6-6 2012, Syracuse won 45-26 1985
Virginia 1-1 1989, Virginia won 16-15 1988
Virginia Tech 2-5 2006, Virginia Tech won 35-24 1979
Wake Forest 1-0 2007, Louisville won 24-13 2007
*Notre Dame Never Faced
Top Rivalries:
Kentucky
Louisville and Kentucky have met 25 times on the gridiron. The teams first played in 1912 with Kentucky dominating the first six meetings between the team from 1912 until 1924, holding Louisville scoreless in all six games. After a 70-year dormancy, former Kentucky player and then Louisville head coach Howard Schnellenberger revived the rivalry in 1994 as the “Governor’s Cup.” Kentucky leads the all-time series 14-11, but Louisville leads 11-8 in Governor’s Cup matchups.
Cincinnati
Louisville and Cincinnati have met 52 times on the gridiron. The teams first met in 1929 and the winner is awarded a traveling trophy known as “The Keg of Nails.” The rivals are connected by Interstate 71 and the rivalry has stretched over conference moves from both schools in the past (from the Missouri Valley to Conference USA to the Big East). It is also the oldest rivalry (in terms of games played) for the Cardinals. The “Keg of Nails” is a replica of a keg used to ship nails. The exchange is believed to have been initiated by fraternity chapters on both campuses to signify that the winning players in the game were “tough as nails.” The keg is adorned with logos of both schools and the scores in each game of the series. Louisville currently holds the Keg despite trailing in the all-time series 30-21-1.
Past Stars:
Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas, who played at Louisville from 1951-54, is a legend from both his time in Louisville and in the NFL. In his four-year career, Unitas completed 245 passes for 3,139 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson played at Louisville from 1970-72, where he was coached by Lee Corso. During his college career, he was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year selection.
Deion Branch
Deion Branch spent two seasons at Louisville (2000-01). During his time with the Cardinals, he caught 143 passes for 2,204 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-Conference USA both seasons and had a league-high 1,188 receiving yards in 2001.
